Atlanta, Georgie, United States: Chen Xingtong’s valiant run at the 76th US Girls’ Junior Championship ended with a narrow defeat to Canadian Aphrodite Deng.

The 16-year-old Singaporean produced a gutsy display at Atlanta Athletic Club’s Riverside Course, eventually going down 2&1 in the 36-hole final.

Chen, a member of the Singapore Golf Association’s national squad who began the week in 291st place in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), was in upbeat mood as she reflected on what proved a memorable month-long trip to America.

The first player from Singapore to reach the US Girls’ Junior final, Chen said: “It’s amazing! I’m so glad to be able to make my country proud. The support from back home has been great. Just being able to play so much because of them, I’m so glad to be part of history.”

Of her performance against WAGR number 36 Deng, Chen said: “I definitely saw a lot of positives out there. Being able to keep my focus and my spirit throughout these 35 holes, and not giving up, even though I was four-down.

“It definitely has given me a lot more confidence because previously I had a lot of doubts about myself – would I be able to make it even as an amateur golfer, trying to get into college? But I think after this week, I will have a lot more confidence, and just trust my game a bit more.

“It’s really showed that I have what it takes as long as I work a little bit harder, especially on my putting and short game.”

For Chen, her first trip to the US turned into a life-changing journey. After earning medallist honours with a 72 in her US Girls’ Junior qualifier on June 16 in Missouri, she headed to Massachusetts for an American Junior Golf Association event, where she finished fifth.

Next stop was San Diego, where she competed in the Junior World Championships at Torrey Pines, placing tied 13th among a strong international field. Just one day after wrapping up there, she arrived in Atlanta on July 11, not expecting to necessarily qualify for match play.

For her efforts, Chen received a silver medal and a three-year exemption into the US Girls’ Junior. She also earned a spot into next month’s US Women’s Amateur, but will not be able to take up that opportunity due to scheduling conflicts.

Chen also received a replica Calamity Jane putter as a gift from the Atlanta Athletic Club. That was the putter used by Atlanta Athletic Club member Bob Jones when he won the Grand Slam in 1930.

As part of USGA tradition, both finalists were treated to a custom lunch prepared by the Atlanta Athletic Club chef. While Deng went classic with steak, mashed potatoes and a salad, while Chen opted for xiao long bao dumplings, Chinese soup and peach tea.

Deng became the first Canadian to win the US Girls’ Junior title also owned by the likes of Hall of Famers Mickey Wright, JoAnne Gunderson Carner, Amy Alcott and Nancy Lopez, as well as current LPGA Tour stars Lexi Thompson, Minjee Lee, Ariya Jutanugarn and Rose Zhang.

“It really means a lot. I can’t believe that I won,” said the 15-year-old who this year has also won the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley and the Mizuho Americas Open. “I didn’t really think about the end result because I knew there were a lot of good players here. I just tried to win each match.”

Deng came out strong with a birdie on the opening hole to take a one-up lead. But Chen responded by winning the second with a par and grabbing a one-up advantage of her own after a birdie at the fourth.

Only two of the first seven holes were tied before Deng found another gear. After taking six and seven, she stood on the 10th tee, one-up, and then pulled away. She won three of the next four holes to stretch her lead to four-up and seize control of the match at the lunch break.

But Chen showed no signs of backing down. Coming out of the 90-minute break, she immediately cut into the deficit with a birdie on the par-five 19th hole, narrowing Deng’s lead to three-up. She continued to chip away with another birdie on the 23rd hole of the match.

Deng, unfazed by the momentum shift, responded by winning the par-three 24th hole with a clutch birdie of her own.

Once again, Chen proved she belonged on this stage, draining a 10-foot birdie on the par-three 26th to trim the deficit back to two-down. On the 27th hole, both players faced par putts inside five feet, but Chen’s slipped by, allowing Deng to capitalise with yet another timely response, winning the hole and stretching her lead back to three-up.

The momentum continued on the very next hole, where Deng confidently holed a 10-footer for birdie. Chen had a chance to match with a similar seven-foot look but couldn’t convert, and just like that, Deng’s lead was back to four, the same margin she held at the midday break.

But Chen refused to go quietly. She won the 30th hole, only for Deng to respond with a win on the 31st. Chen then rallied again, taking holes 32 and 34 to extend the match to the par-three 35th. There, Deng finally sealed the victory with a clutch four-foot par putt.